Kobe Bryant, daughter, 7 others killed in helicopter crash in Southern California

Updated on Jan. 26, 2020 at 10:25 p.m. EST

Officials now report that nine people total were killed in the helicopter crash that killed basketball legend Kobe Bryant. Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others, including Orange Coast College baseball Head Coach John Altobelli and three members of his family, were killed in the Sunday crash, according to the Associated Press.

Richard Winton and Dan Woike
Los Angeles Times

LOS ANGELES — Kobe Bryant, the legendary basketball star who spent 20 years with the Los Angeles Lakers, was killed Sunday when the helicopter he was traveling in crashed and burst into flames Sunday morning amid foggy conditions in the hills above Calabasas, sources told the L.A. Times.

The crash occurred shortly before 10 a.m. near Las Virgenes Road, south of Agoura Road, according to a watch commander for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

The crash ignited a brush fire and made it difficult for firefighters and emergency personnel to get to the aircraft, he said. Sources at the scene said they believed there were multiple fatalities, but the exact number was unclear.

The fire was contained to the crash site, officials said. There were no homes in the area, and no roadways were impacted.

The Sikorsky S-76 helicopter had five people on board and there appear to be no survivors.

Allen Kenitzer, an FAA spokesman, said his agency and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating.